Eagledawn
Eagledawn 'is a ThunderClan she-cat that temporarily belonged to ShadowClan, as she was born in the heat of battle, then found and kitnapped by a ShadowClan warrior called Shadeleaf, without the consent of his clanmates. The kit was led to believe her mother was a she-cat named Silverfall, who called her Stormkit. Eagledawn was faced with the cold truth after she met Awes-kon-wa, who seemed to be following her everywhere despite her attempts to hunt and kill the latter. Birth ''"Kwe kwe," "Onhka ki?" "Tha'tesato:tat," "Onhka ni:s "T:i," "Iah tewake'nikonhraien:ta's..." "Iontiats Yahweh. Sehia:rak," "Yahweh...? Onhka thi?" "T:i. O:nen, Wakį́yą..." '' A young warrior hurried into the clan base, panting and surrounded in scars as several other warriors surrounded him. The clan leader, Bramblestar, padded towards the commotion. "What happened?" he called. "A... S-ShadowClan... They're attacking!" he meowed, worriedly. "ShadowClan?! Again! We must fight back!" he replied, assigning a few cats to guard the camp. With that, several warriors stampeded their way closer to the ShadowClan border, including a she-cat called Shimmerstripe. They fought bravely and eventually pushed back the ShadowClan forces, however whilst in battle, Shimmerstripe screamed in pain, falling as two warriors charged towards her. Another ThunderClan warrior appeared and guarded her while she gave birth to a kit. The medicine cat's apprentice grabbed the kit and helped the mother escape, however a warrior called Shadeleaf burst out from the bushes and lay his claws and teeth into the cat's neck, ultimately killing him. Shadeleaf sighted the kit, and without thinking, took her back to his clan, where his mate Silverfall lay asleep in the medicine cat's den, and lay the kit down near her, knowing she'd give birth soon. "One, two kits!" the medicine cat mewed. "Oh, a third!" he added, as he looked at the ThunderClan kit. Silverfall meowed happily. "This one, I'll call Firekit," she said, her eyes gleaming at a ginger tabby cat. She then looked at a pure-black kit with soft, green eyes. "This one can be Shadekit," she giggled, directing her gaze purposely at her mate. "Hey!" he laughed. "That's my name!" She began grooming the ThunderClan kit, thinking it was her own, and immediately Shadeleaf changed his expression. "This one... Hmm... What should I call her?" "H-how about... Umm... Stormkit?" Shadeleaf stammered. "Yeah! Firekit, Shadekit and Stormkit!" Silverfall meowed. Three moons later, it was finally the three kits' time to visit the open world for the first time. "Ready?" Silverfall said. "Yup! We're gonna have so much fun!" Firekit bounced around, accidentally stepping on Stormkit's tail. "Hey! Watch where you're throwing those dirty paws!" Stormkit laughed. "Sorry," Firekit replied, calming down. "Alright, alright, off you go then! Have fun, and stay together!" Silverfall meowed as they happily walked out. They began to explore when Stormkit was distracted by a wren and separated, however the wren immediately flew off. She wandered around the camp by herself, accidentally entering the leader's den. The deputy peered inside and caught her out, disciplining her before sending her out. Apprenticeship The time came for the Gathering, and both Bramblestar and Shimmerstripe looked none too happy. "When the ShadowClan ''cowardly ''attacked us, a she-cat gave birth to a kit. Our medicine cat's apprentice was killed during this and the kit is missing," Bramblestar stared sharply at the ShadowClan leader. "We demand the kit back." "We are not in possession of your kit! We recently had our own three, Firekit, Shadekit and Stormkit! With such an addition, would we be guilty of such a terrible crime?" The wren watched, sighing and shaking her head. ''"I will find her," she whispered to herself. Moons later, Firekit, Shadekit and Stormkit were now Firepaw, Shadepaw and Stormpaw. They learned to hunt and a few battle moves each, then the wren appeared again. "Look!" Stormpaw whispered to Shadepaw. "A bird. I'm gonna catch it!" "Uh-uh! You'll never! Birds are too hard." Shadepaw replied. Stormpaw already leapt and caught hold of the wren, which mysteriously disappeared. "What? Where did it go?" Stormpaw questioned, looking around. "I told you!" Shadepaw said, her head up. "But I swear by StarClan, I caught it..." Stormpaw mewed. The Gathering this Moon was much more heated than the last. The three apprentices were there now. "We have three new apprentices," the ShadowClan leader announced proudly. "Stormpaw, Firepaw and Shadepaw." As the leader said Stormpaw's name, she shivered and sat in shyness. Bramblestar hopped onto the rock now. "And we still don't have our missing kit. I demand you bring her back at once!" Shadeleaf sat next to Stormpaw. "They're only blaming me because that damned medicine cat's apprentice died while I was around... and coincidentally that kit went missing in the same time. It probably wandered off, got lost." he lied, though he was very convincing. Convincing enough to fool his whole clan. He knew he's done a terrible thing but never admitted it. "I would have named her Eaglekit," Shimmerstripe cried. Stormpaw didn't think and opened her muzzle. "It was a coincidence!" she yelled. That voice, ''Shimmerstripe thought as she pushed her way through the crowd of ThunderClan warriors. She saw there, in the ShadowClan crowd, Stormpaw. "That's ''my kit!!" Shimmerstripe yowled. Shadeleaf pushed back Stormpaw. "No, she's a ShadowClan apprentice. She's my ''daughter. Leave her alone, you crazy old squirrel!" he lied, with a stern voice. "Liar!" Shimmerstripe replied as Bramblestar signalled a warrior to force her to return. "That's my kit!" she replied. Stormpaw was due to become a warrior in the next Moon, when she saw the wren again. She approached, and wondered why even though the wren saw her, it wasn't moving. ''Mouse-brain, she thought. "Hello," ''the wren simply said. Stormpaw stopped and stared, confused. "Who said that?" she asked. Hidden Truth Revealed ''"I," the wren answered, but Stormpaw looked even more confused. "The wren," she sighed. Stormpaw met her gaze with the strange bird's. "What? A meowing bird??" she questioned. "We call it 'Talking' in our language. Yes. I do talk, and I have a lot of news for you," ''the mysterious bird replied. Firepaw out of nowhere pounced on the bird. "Gotcha!" he mewed. ''"If you'd keep your friends off me, that'd be great!" ''Firepaw stopped and looked around. "Who said that?" He released his grip, setting the bird free. "Mouse-dung!" "The bird can meow," Stormpaw answered. Firepaw simply tilted her head. ''"Get your sibling here if you want to hear it, too." Firepaw ran off and came back with Shadepaw. "What's this about a meowing bird?" "Okay, this will come as a very big shock to you all. Especially you, Stormpaw," ''the wren said as the apprentices sat down. ''"My name is Awes-kon-wa. I am here to inform you that you are adopted and I need to get you to your proper clan," All the kits simply tilted their heads further. "What's adopted mean?" Shadepaw asked. "It means the parents you know now are not your actual parents. Stormpaw, Silverfall is not your mother and Shadeleaf is not your father. Firepaw and Shadepaw are not your real brothers." "WHAT?!" Stormpaw yelled. "That's impossible!" "Shh! There's more!" ''Awes-kon-wa leaned closer. ''"You are not a ShadowClan cat, you belong to ThunderClan. Your real mother is Shimmerstripe. Your real name is Eaglepaw," ''The apprentices stared in disbelief and turned against 'Stormpaw'. "ThunderClan scum!" Shadepaw growled as Awes parted the two with a barrier. ''"Uh-uh! She's going back to ThunderClan next Gathering," Returning Home The three apprentices came to the next Gathering, along with Awes-kon-wa. "Our apprentices are now full warriors. Welcome, Stormpelt, Firestripe and Shademark," the ShadowClan proudly announced as Stormpelt shriveled up. She knew she was where she didn't belong, now. "Eagledawn!" Shimmerstripe called, then silenced. Eagledawn, Stormpelt thought. That's my real name... Awes-kon-wa appeared next to Eagledawn. "It is time," ''Awes-kon-wa said. ''"Come," Eagledawn and Awes-kon-wa ran up to the rock. Awes began shining her feathers. "Listen and heed my words. You stand before a legend, although not sent from StarClan, for I am a different kind unfamiliar to your ways, and I present now to you the truth of young 'Stormpelt'," ''Awes-kon-wa called. She caught the attention of all cats. ''"For moons Shadeleaf has been hiding a terrible lie from all of you!" ''Shadeleaf stared at the ground with guilt, growling lowly at the seemingly invisible voice. ''"A kitnap has occurred during ShadowClan's attack. Stormpelt was thought to be the sibling of Firestripe and Shademark, but this, nay, is not the case. She is a ThunderClan cat!" ''The crowd turned to an uproar then silenced when Awes-kon-wa was about to speak again. Eagledawn gazed at Shimmerstripe, who was staring back. ''"Her true name shall be Eagledawn, and her true mother..." Eagledawn hopped off the rock and ran towards Shimmerstripe. "... is Shimmerstripe. Stormpelt of ShadowClan, purge and enter your very true home, for you are now Eagledawn of ThunderClan." The result of the event cast Shadeleaf of the clans and became a rogue cat, and both Silverfall and Shimmerstripe was not the least bit happy with him. As with Eagledawn, she would one day rise to become Eaglestar, with the help of an unexpected visitor. Continuing StoryCategory:Aquila "She takes my appearance." "She is meant to. She has your power." "But why her? A cat, of all forms?" "You will see." Finally! the she-cat almost burst out. Thank you, wren spirit. Though your ways are not ours, surely StarClan must have sent you. She quickly glanced around and was surprised to see the whole group looking indifferent to what had just occurred under the full moon. It was almost as if... they had forgotten as soon as it had happened. Best not to remind them, she thought. Her fur stood on end when she had suddenly heard an emotional wail, only to see Shimmerstripe padding towards her and enveloping her in white pelt. "W-wha--..." Eagledawn began, trailing off when the queen licked her cheek. "Mother, please..." she continued, though Shimmerstripe remained. Sighing, she glanced around at the other cats, before settling eyes on a grey, muscular tom with yellow eyes that had almost shined as bright as her own. She felt a certain tingling feeling in her stomach which had flown away when a lighter grey she-cat with stripes approached the tom and settled eyes on Eagledawn, brimming with hostility, before beginning to share tongues with the muscular cat. Oh, Eagledawn lowered her ears and looked away, disappointment filling where the tingling before was. He has a mate. Shaking her head, she continued onwards, Shimmerstripe annoyingly following right beside her, only a mouse-length away. Eagledawn felt bad for thinking for a second that she would prefer Silverfall traveling back instead, though she silently scolded herself. Shimmerstripe was only overjoyed to see her missing daughter for the first time! she had to remind herself along the way. Yawning, she herself was overjoyed to see the fern tunnel that led to the camp, and ran as fast as she could through it, secretly hoping to herself that her clingy mother would be farther away now. Glancing around at the unfamiliar place she now had to call home, she almost jumped hearing a kittypet name being called out. "Millie!" She turned her head to see the grey tom she saw before, calling to the she-cat who paired with him. "Yes, Graystripe?" the she-cat's voice replied. Two apprentices wandered excitedly to what Eagledawn presumed to be the nursery. She looked at them, though paid little attention as she listened to the conversation. "We should see the kits. Sunstreak's been bragging about them all morning," the tom replied. "Alright. I just hope they turn out as good as mine, though - or at least remind me of them." Eagledawn almost gasped when she saw Millie's eyes clouded with grief. Had something happened to one of her kits? Deciding to follow to the nursery, she saw what all the grief was all about - a half-dead and half-alive brown she-cat dragging herself to the fresh-kill pile, taking a vole before pulling desperately to the nursery. Eagledawn winced, imagining the pain that this cat must have gone through, when Bramblestar had approached from behind her all of a sudden. "Poor thing," he sighed, flicking his tail. "That's Briarlight. Millie and Graystripe's daughter. I know what you're thinking. We all feel uncomfortable just seeing her... I wish there was something we could do..." Sighing, he padded off and squeezed through the nursery's entrance along with Eagledawn. "Welcome to your new home, Flamekit and Nightkit," the ginger queen laying proudly in a nest mewed. "Congratulations, Sunstreak," Graystripe meowed, looking at the two newborns. The queen raised her ears proudly. "Look at Flamekit's claws and fangs. They are very long and sharp!" Sunstreak laughed. "Looks like one of them is already a warrior!" "Yes," Bramblestar replied with an unclear expression. "If only Nightfang was here." Sighing, Sunstreak bobbed her head down respectfully. "May he rest in StarClan, and always watch over us..." Some young kits and the two apprentices that were seen earlier struggled to catch a glimpse of the newborns, but they were soon ordered to leave so that they could rest. As Eagledawn watched closer at the midnight kit, Bramblestar noticed the same thing she did. "Nightkit looks a bit different..." he mewed to the kit's mother, who bowed her head in agreement. As if made more for running and climbing... ''"His training may need to be modified," he finished. "I have to go. Let the other cats see them." Brambleclaw turned, leaving, and suddenly a jolt ran through Eagledawn's mind. "Different..." she whispered to herself, her eyes clouded in thought. "Remembering something?" a tom meowed, and she was surprised to see a light brown cat sitting beside her, his amber gaze locked onto her golden eyes. "My name's Birchfall, by the way." "Y-yeah," she mewed, nervously, feeling her unnaturally fluffy neck puff up beside her. "It just reminds me of my kithood... I was never the same to my, um, 'siblings'." The cat looked down for a second, seeming to recall something. "Ah, yes, I remember. You're Stormpelt, aren't you? So, Shimmerstripe ''did get you back after all." Stifling a yawn, Eagledawn chuckled before replying. "Stormpelt... It feels like moons since I was called that. It's Eagledawn, now." Birchfall pushed himself off his haunches, padding away. "Well, see ya. Whitewing will be looking for me." Laughing, Eagledawn padded after him. "What do you mean, 'see ya'? We're in the same clan!" She walked herself to the warrior's den, remembering suddenly that she had no nest. "Ah, mouse dung..." she sighed. "Oh, don't worry about it," the glowing, yellow eyes said. "Bramblestar sent Molepaw to make a nest for you. Shimmerstripe's tagging along. She's really clingy, isn't she?" Graystripe asked. "Well, she did miss seeing me grow up. I won't even be surprised if she's wanting to sleep in the warrior's den tonight just for me," Eagledawn replied. She sat at the entrance for a while, waiting as Molepaw and Shimmerstripe paced back and forth collecting moss and laying it into a nice and comfy nest. A few minutes later, the task was completed, and she had finally curled up comfortably. That was, until, a second cat intruded. "Mother," she growled lowly. "Shimmerstripe!" a mottled, pale grey tabby sighed. Almost immediately the mother turned her head, and Eagledawn could hear a few snickers from one of the cats. "Yes, Jayfeather?" she asked innocently. "You have your own nest here," he replied. With a disapproving attitude, Shimmerstripe pushed herself off and plopped down onto a nest near Eagledawn's. "Fine, Jayfeather. Fine..." Another snicker came. "Motherly love," the jeering cat laughed. "Shut up, Dustpelt," another voice called as Eagledawn drifted off to sleep. Two moons passed by, and the forest was more hazy than it had seemed before. She knew she was dreaming. Was StarClan sending her a message? She saw the sturdy figure of Graystripe walking towards her. Was he dreaming as well? It seemed so, for he had bowed his head to nuzzle her flank affectionately. It was clear now that even if Graystripe had a mate, Eagledawn still loved him, but was it the same way around? That she was not sure, and so she spoke unconsciously, "Graystripe... I know it's impossible, but I... I want you to be with me." The words slid out as heavy as stones as she waited for the reply. "I feel the same way, but it's a feeling we have to forget. I love Millie. You know that." A sharp noise called out in the distance that woke her. "ShadowClan's attacking!" the desperate voice shouted as she and almost all the warriors burst out of the den. The broad shoulders belonging to the clan leader emerged from his den as he leapt and struck Dustpelt's head with a sheathed paw. "You fool!" he sighed. "It's only Eagledawn!" Her muzzle drooped hearing the words she could not believe. After these two moons, she still smelled like ShadowClan? Graystripe shouldered past to observe what was happening, Millie following closely. Sighing, he turned to Eagledawn. "Forgive his foolishness. It can't be helped," he joked. She purred in amusement, stopping when he returned a serious gaze. Did she do something wrong? No. He mouthed, 'I dreamed about you.' She nodded, mouthing back. 'Me too.' By now they had both wondered what it meant, but as he said in her dream she had to let go of her feelings for him. "Come on, Graystripe. We need to go on dawn patrol," Millie was quick to announce. Eagledawn sat at the middle of the clearing watching Sunstreak's kits, Nightkit and Flamekit. "So, you're Eagledawn!" a she-cat called from behind. Turning, she saw a well-muscled, dark ginger cat. "The deputy, if I'm not mistaken?" Eagledawn replied. "Yeah. Squirrelflight. Nice to finally meet you - and glad - Shimmerstripe was going crazy without you," she commented before adding, "She slept in the warrior's den last night as well. She's supposed to be in the elder's den..." Sighing, the two she-cats chuckled. Together the two watched the kits as they were talking to an elder around the fresh-kill pile. "They're going to grow strong," Eagledawn announced her thoughts out loud, taking particular interest in the flame-coloured kit. "That one looks like my father, Firestar!" Squirrelflight said, following Eagledawn's gaze. Side-tracked, Eagledawn barely heard Squirrelflight's next sentence. "You wouldn't mind mentoring him, would you?" "Huh?" Eagledawn bluntly replied, so she repeated. "O-oh... I'm flattered, uh... Sure." And thus, 4 moons later, the ceremony for two new apprentices was about to begin, and cats gathered at the middle of the clearing as Bramblestar jumped onto the High rock. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the High rock for a clan meeting," he spoke the traditional words. Eagledawn glanced around, trying to remember names, when she paused at a ginger, seemingly glowing she-cat hurrying her kits to the meeting. With that she knew it was Sunstreak, who had eyed her suspiciously. Eagledawn flicked her tail in uncertainty and moved her way to the front of the crowd, all cats giving her room except for Dustpelt, who hadn't noticed her passing by. With a sneaky smirk on her face, she halted, watching his tail wave in front of her, before slamming her paw down onto it. The brown tom leaped in the air, yowling. "Sorry," Eagledawn purred. "I didn't see your tail there." Growling, Dustpelt moved backwards in the crowd, allowing Eagledawn to continue. She plopped down next to Squirrelflight, nodding in respect. She felt fur push against her flank, and when she looked she saw a reddish-brown tom that almost looked like a fox. Beside him sat Birchfall. "Excuse me, please don't do that to our father," he sighed. "He... just finds trouble trusting outsiders..." Eagledawn narrowed her eyes, lowering her ears. She knew what he meant, but couldn't help but be offended. "I'm not an outsider." The two edged away and continued watching the ceremony as the two kits padded at the base of the High rock. "Nightkit and Flamekit. You have been with us for six moons. Today you will start your training. Your father has been loyal and brave to ThunderClan and died a hero, and may you follow in his pawsteps. Nightkit, until you earn your warrior name, you will be Nightpaw. Your mentor will be Lionblaze," A golden-brown thick tom padded his wide paws which contradicted the green, flattened grass. He bent down in front of the new apprentice and touched noses. Bramblestar continued, looking at the same kit Eagledawn eyed. Eagledawn lifted herself off her haunches, preparing to do the same as Lionblaze. "Flamekit, until you earn your warrior name, you will be Flamepaw, Your mentor will be Eagledawn." She padded towards the flame-coloured kit, reminded of Firestar, and did the same - bent down and touched noses. This was her apprentice now. Her responsiblity. This young cat's life was in her hands. That night was difficult, for StarClan had really sent her a dream. She sat in a part of the forest where rocks sat. These rocks, called Snakerocks, usually had adders slithering around, but none were seen at this time. She next spotted a dark tunnel, hearing a frightened yowl and a large, spotted tail and paw dashing into it. She sprinted at the entrance, almost entering, but before she could an abnormally large feather dropped from the sky. It was the same colour as her neck. When she looked up, she caught a glimpse of an eagle, its flight feathers the same as the one that dropped. The giant had frightened her, but she stayed as if under a false sense of security. When it beat its wings, she could hear thunder, and it had disappeared, a voice appearing from thin air; You are important, in more ways than even StarClan knows. She looked down again to the feather which began to glow brighter, as did her neck. A pair of clear, green eyes peered at her in the tunnel, and when she heard another frightening yowl, she woke, screaming. A tabby cat was seen bent over her, and as her vision began to clear she saw it was Graystripe. "Bad dream. How do you feel?" As the words spilled from his mouth, Eagledawn could feel a pulsing pain coming from her neck and her heart beat fast. "Not... not good," she gasped, beginning to push herself up. Graystripe pulled her into a straight, proper walking position by her scruff, and the two walked outside, their paws taking them to Jayfeather. When Eagledawn gazed up, she could see Silverpelt as clear as the half-full moon, and she wondered about who each of the star's spirits were and what stories they'd have to tell when she ascended with them one day. "You almost woke everyone up. Luckily, only I had heard you," Graystripe told her as they entered the medicine cat's den. To their surprise, Jayfeather sat slumped on his nest, but awake. "Don't you like to stay up late?" Jayfeather chuckled, lifting himself up. "What is it?" As he asked, his tail swirled around as if he had already known. He turned to Graystripe and nodded. "Thank you. You may go now." Graystripe nodded back and disappeared through the crack of the rock. "So, what is it?" the medicine cat had asked. Eagledawn cleared her throat and spoke with nervousness, having never spoken to a medicine cat before; "Well... I had a dream. It happened when I woke up. My neck feels weird, like it's pulsing with some kind of painful energy, my heart's beating really fast and it feels like it's being shocked, and I feel sick overall." Jayfeather nodded, interest flooding his eyes, and his tail swayed like a kit's play toy. "Interesting. Very. When I woke up, I felt like I was shocked, too. Tell me, what was the dream about?" he asked. "Well..." Eagledawn began to explain, estranged at what this dream might have meant. "I was at Snakerocks, near the tunnel where the dog pack was. I didn't see any snakes, though. When I saw the tunnel, I heard a mighty but painful yowl. Like nothing I've ever heard before. I saw a glimpse of a tail which had disappeared into the tunnel. Light, with black spots. I also saw the back of a massive paw, also light with black spots. I tried to follow it, but when I was about to enter, a really huge feather dropped down in front of me, the same colour as my neck fur. When I looked up to see where it came from, I saw this giant eagle that had the same feathers on its wings. I was scared, but I felt... some warmth, that I would be safe... It flapped its wings and I heard thunder come from it, then it disappeared while I heard a voice. It sounded female. It said, 'You are important, in more ways than even StarClan knows'. I looked at the feather again, and both it and my neck fur glowed. I saw green eyes glow in the tunnel, and I heard another frightening yowl. It was frightening enough to make me yowl as I woke up, it seems." Jayfeather stayed still for a moment, and Eagledawn was concerned that he might never answer, but he sighed in thoughtfulness, "To be completely honest with you, Eagledawn, I don't get the eagle and thunder part. But by what she said, it seems you have ties to her more than anyone else. It would make sense, because of your abnormal neck fur and... well, your name, not to mention your adopted name, Stormpelt. About the yowls, though. Mighty, yet scared, spotted and large. It could be a leopard. It would make sense - Firestar was to do with a prophecy about a lion, and Bramblestar about a tiger. You could be the third... Eagledawn, you might become leader some day! As for why the leopard is scared, I'm not fully sure. It might be you have to face a danger in the forest. Like Firestar and Bramblestar." The medicine cat's whiskers twitched in great interest and excitement about unraveling this mystery further. "Thank you, Jayfeather. I really hope we can solve this soon," she meowed, beginning to walk off unsteadily. "Hey," he called after her. "I think you should stay here for the rest of the night. You don't look really healthy." Eagledawn stopped, watching as he arranged a pile of moss into an extra nest, then circled around it to face her, flicking his tail towards the nest in an inviting way. "I'd give you something, but I wont risk disturbing signs from StarClan." The she-cat nodded, plopping down onto the nest and closing her eyes for a rest that felt like moons. The only image she had received from her dream then was an image of Silverpelt, with the large, thunderous eagle invading. Maybe the eagle's the danger! ''she thought to herself. It would certainly be a hard opponent to overcome. When she woke up, all pain had disappeared and she felt as fresh as any warrior waking up in the morning. Hearing rustling deeper into the den, she decided to tell Jayfeather. "Hey, Jayfeather!" she called, and the tom appeared to her. "I had another dream. It was short this time, and it seemed still. I was in Silverpelt, and the cats were gathered around the giant eagle," she told him. "Anyway, I'm better now. Can I go?" Jayfeather nodded in agreement. "I'll think more about the dreams. It's still too early for any warriors to be up, so you can go back and rest a bit more." Eagledawn purred, meowing thanks to the medicine cat, and padded into the warrior's den, sitting in her nest for what seemed like a moon before dozing off. ''"You mean to send me to StarClan? Creator, please, think about the consequences." "I can assure they will not harm you, and you will not need to harm them." "But, why?" "It is the only way, to send her signs, to guide her throughout her journey." She felt a nudging at her flank, then a second nudge before she opened her left eye and pricked her ear, then turning to face a small, flame-coloured tom. Oh. It's my apprentice, she thought, expecting something more cryptic. "About time you woke up!" Flamepaw mewed. Eagledawn stretched out her paw and hit him gently as a warning. "This is the warrior's den, Flamepaw. Wait for me outside," she sighed. "Oh. Sorry..." Flamepaw apologised, padding off with his tail at a medium height, which made his expression hard to read. "At least he follows orders," she mewed to herself. She sat for longer still, thinking about the dreams she had, and she began grooming her own neck. What is this thing? she thought. What is it supposed to do? She pricked her ears at a rustling noise, and only saw Briarlight crawling around the nests and outside. "Come on, you lazy furball," she ordered herself. "If that she-cat can get up, then you can." She sighed, moving her legs upwards. It wobbled for a moment, still feeling unsteady, then strengthened instantly. She padded outside the den and saw Flamepaw sitting at the fern tunnel entrance, looking crossly at his mother, who in turned stared straight at Eagledawn with hostility before walking off to the fresh-kill pile, her paws hitting heavily on the flat grass. She flicked her tail, wondering what had occurred in her absent, and appeared at the front of the fern tunnel. "You ready?" she meowed. Flamepaw nodded eagerly, and the two set off. The pair had walked around through the forest before reaching the river, where she saw two she-cats, one old and one young, sharing tongues. One was Mistystar, the leader of RiverClan, though Eagledawn failed to recognise her apprentice. In turn, Mistystar had thought the same. She recognised Eagledawn, but not her apprentice. "Hi, Stormpelt! Who's your apprentice?" she asked. "You might turn out to be as forgetful as your mother," Eagledawn joked. "I'm Eagledawn now, remember? And this is Flamepaw. Who's your apprentice?" As Eagledawn introduced Flamepaw, she noticed in his eyes that he had an interest in Rainpaw, and his eyes were cloudy. She glanced at the RiverClan apprentice, just to see her having the same expression. Stop mooning, you two, she thought. "Hi, Flamepaw. I'm Mistystar, and this is Rainpaw," she mewed. Eagledawn had thought she heard her apprentice purring when he heard that name. She shook her head, giggling. "So, how's Graystripe's kits?" she asked. Mistystar pricked her ears and sighed. "You haven't heard? Feathertail's unfortunately deceased, and Stormfur's with the Tribe of Rushing Water. We haven't seen him since." She lowered her ears, closing her eyes and recalling. "Oh. I'm sorry... Well," Eagledawn mewed. "We'd better get going. Gotta show this little one the borders." The two she-cats mewed their goodbyes, and Mistystar disappeared through the bushes. Eagledawn observed as Flamepaw gazed at Rainpaw, the same cloudy look in his eyes, before she finally disappeared and Flamepaw had snapped out of his trance. "You like her, don't you?" Eagledawn mused. Blushing, her apprentice replied hastily, "Um... No, I don't! I-I was only watching her to make sure she didn't tr--" He stopped and read Eagledawn's disbelieving expression. "Nevermind, you got me... I do..." Eagledawn giggled. "Don't worry, you little furball. I won't tell anyone." Eagledawn heard a sigh of relief, and the two continued through, reaching the edge of the Thunderpath, where beyond was ShadowClan territory. "What was ShadowClan life like?" Flamepaw asked. The sudden question had surprised Eagledawn, and she wondered why he was so curious about it. Though, she answered honestly. "Well, I'm not sure how much different it would be to ThunderClan. I haven't exactly gotten the opportunity to be an Eaglekit or an Eaglepaw. The deputy was mean, though." Flamepaw gazed at his mentor. "Who was the deputy?" he asked. "Russetfur at the time. It's Rowanclaw now, though," she spat out the name like venom. "He should eat some badger dung!" the apprentice blurted out. "He was still honourable.! Even if he did have a particular hate on ThunderClan... At least he wasn't like Tigerstar," ''the black-and-white she-cat remarked, with an unintended edgy voice. Flamepaw looked down the Thunderpath, seeing an incoming monster. Eagledawn jumped back, but Flamepaw hanged with his mouth open, as if he was... ''enjoying the scents. She heard him chuckle at her reaction, and stepped forward to grab him, when the monster passed by with a heavy wind. "Mouse dung! Flamepaw, stay away from the monsters! They're really dangerous. When our old medicine cat got ran over, her leg was completely broken! And, you know Briarlight? She wasn't run over, but what happened to her can happen to you." Regretfully, she saw his apprentice flinch, but he only bowed his. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..." Eagledawn flicked her tail as a signal to stop. "Just be careful, okay? Sorry doesn't feed the clan, and Sunstreak would be devastated if you were gone so early." With a hint of amusement, she had added, "and so would Rainpaw." Her apprentice flicked his tail and relaxed, chuckling, "I wouldn't mock me if I were you. I know how you feel about Graystripe." His sudden knowledge of such matters surprised her, but at this moment she knew exactly what to respond with. "Yes, and I know how you feel about Rainpaw. Your point?" Flamepaw looked over at the Thunderpath, giving his mentor the assumption that she had 'won' the conversation. Finally, he had responded. "Fine. Don't tell anyone about Rainpaw, and I won't tell anyone about Graystripe." Eagledawn explained the circumstances of both relationships and at the end, she considered his offer. She paused to drink the air for a moment, scenting out a patrol, and saw Lionblaze and his apprentice approaching. "We'd better go. Remember you said we'd do a bit of hunting," he mewed, and the two began to continue. "Correction; I said we might. Anyway, yes, let's get a move on. There's bound to be a mouse or two somewhere, and we're both hungry." Flamepaw nodded, setting off before the she-cat could whisper a word, and she had followed. After a short walk, the pair stopped and began to sniff. "What do you smell?" she questioned. "Mice," the apprentice responded. She nodded and watched as he crouched down into a hunting position, leaping into a bush and coming back out with a mouse in his mouth. "Well done, but I thought you hesitated too much. It almost got away. Bury it and we'll find some more to hunt," On the way back to the ThunderClan camp, they had seen Snakerocks, and not an adder to be seen resting as usual. "Something's wrong," she muttered to herself so only her own ears could here. Alarmingly, a spotted, light tail and abnormally large hindpaw dashed inside the nearby tunnel where the dog pack had taken residence many moons ago. Remembering her dream and the painful yowls, her claws unsheathed and she shivered, turning back to her apprentice briefly. "Flamepaw, go back to camp. This might be dangerous." She had expected a protest, but surprisingly, none came. The apprentice simply nodded and ran. Cautiously, she approached the entrance, stepping one paw forward and expecting an overgrown feather to hover down in front of her. But none came. So, she stepped inside, but what did come was the glowing, green eyes, and another yowl of pain. She whimpered in terror. But the beast only stood still for a moment before collapsing. Realising that it meant no harm and instead needed help, she stepped inside the tunnel and dragged her paws across its body to feel its shape. "Feline," she muttered, and grabbed a forepaw of the large cat. It was hard but she managed to drag the limp body outside and into the sun where she could see it. Her jaws dropped and she yowled in even more terror when she saw what the intruder, exactly, was. ''"What in StarClan?!"'' she yowled, shrinking back. It couldn't be what she thought it was. ''"W-what... A-are... Y-you...?" '''She barely saw as the clear, green eyes of the... thing... opened. Eagledawn had suddenly felt light-headed and felt that at any moment she could faint. A voice had come from what monster. "Please... don't be scared..." he simply muttered. Eagledawn took his words literally but felt no different. She jumped across his hind paws and sat in front of his piercing eyes, her fear scent reeking the whole forest. "I know... how you feel..." he responded to her scent. "Please, don't be scared by me. I cannot change who I am..." When she studied his body carefully, Eagledawn saw a huge cut in between his flank and back. On top of that, surrounding the scar were smaller cuts and bruises. She realised his words meant truth, that she ''shouldn't ''be scared of the large, spotted cat, because even if he had intent, he could not harm her in this condition. She could still hardly believe what she had seen. A real, ''living, leopard. "I-I'll go get the medicine cat! You wait here!" she meowed with haste. "No..." he called after her. "Don't let any cat know that I live here," the leopard replied. She shook her head. "Jayfeather already knows about the prophecy. It's no use to hide it from him. Besides, you can't not trust a medicine cat." The large cat remained silent, so Eagledawn had immediately sprinted off to camp. When she was there, she saw her apprentice and other cats preoccupied with other business, and she slipped into the medicine cat's den. "Jayfeather!" she whispered. Not hearing a reply, she padded further into the den and called again. "Oh..." she heard. "Yes, Eagledawn?" he came out. "I need you, right now. There's no time to explain, just hurry!" she answered in desperation. "And bring some cobwebs as well," she added. The medicine cat nodded, crawling into the shadows and coming out with a wad of cobwebs. "No, no... This injury is huge. We need more than that!" He hesitated for a moment, looking at her as if she was a mad hare, but without saying anything he came with more cobwebs, and the two set back to Snakerocks. "Hey!" she called, and she saw the leopard's spotted tail swishing in signal to come. Jayfeather stumbled through the ferns, dragging his paws across the figure to recognise its shape, and dropped the cobwebs in confusion and awe, fear scent starting to drift through. "Whoa..." he mewed. Shaking his head, he grabbed the cobwebs and began work, covering the large wounds. "So, what happened? And who are you?" he asked the leopard. "I'm a descendant of LeopardClan. Part of the last group alive, though they're gone and now I'm the only one left. I was given the name Falconclaw. We were attacked by Twolegs. As we were evacuating, we had to cross the Thunderpath, and a monster had hit me along here. It wasn't as bad as usual, thank StarClan, but to put it worse on the same part I was scarred when a dog bit and ripped through me as I tried to return to the forest. That's how I'm here now..." he breathed heavily, and Jayfeather lay in front of him next to Eagledawn. "Just relax. You'll be fine," Eagledawn said. A few minutes felt like hours as Jayfeather had finished his work, handing the leopard some sort of berry. "Juniper," the medicine cat meowed. "Eat it." Falconclaw shuffled on his paws and picked up the berry with his tongue before eating it. "Thank you," he bowed gratefully at the cats. "You should stay at our clan. We'd be more than happy to take such a mighty warrior," Eagledawn proposed. Falconclaw shook his head. "And freak out just about every cat in this forest? No, thanks. But, should you need me any time," he lifted off his haunches and continued, "I can help you." The mottled grey figure of Jayfeather spoke, "But where will you stay?" he asked. "At the tunnel, of course. Should any dog return, I'll rip them to shreds." "You know about that?" Eagledawn questioned. "Yes. I can smell their stale stench. The wind won't exactly find its way in the cave and wash it away," the leopard answered, entering the tunnel. "May StarClan light your path." Eagledawn sat down and sighed, sad that due to what he was, he could not do more. The two waited for nothing in particular, when a strong scent had filled their nostrils... And both she and Jayfeather froze, silent, cold, and terrified, when they had realised what it was. Snapping into her senses, she tapped the medicine cat on his scruff with her muzzle, and they both ran from what threat came behind them. "Foxes!" she screamed, hoping someone would hear her, but none would. "Here!" she heard a voice, and she turned towards a tree where low branches hung. Jayfeather scrambled up, and she followed, unsheathing her claws, but then she heard a deadly snap. And before she knew it, Eagledawn was stuck, struggling desperately to move, but her legs would not operate. She tried to breathe, but it would not work. Something was suffocating her. She looked up, her eyes clouded with fear, and when she saw Jayfeather sitting up the tree, he had the same gaze. And the foxes behind her barked, their breath getting hot and sticky on her fur. She closed her eyes, prepared for her final moments, when a mighty roar was heard, and her eyes shot open. She tried to wheel around to see what was happening, but only pain shot through her whole body and only more air was knocked out of her. She could not speak, or even whimper, and she had to sit there, frozen. What was happening? she thought, fearfully. In a few moments she had realised the foxes were gone. "Eagledawn!" a familiar voice called, and Jayfeather landed on the ground in front of her. "Hold on. We'll try to get you out," he mewed. Out? she asked herself. Out of what? What's happening? Why can't I breathe? Or move? ''"This one's strong," a voice had called, though her sense of hearing was clouded by fear and she could not recognise who the voice belonged to. "Damn Twolegs," Jayfeather replied. "They've got their own nests. Why don't they just stay ''out of this forest?" Eagledawn tried to breathe in, but all that came out was the tattered, desperate whimpers as she struggled, but whatever had held onto her neck was only getting tighter. "Hold on, Eagledawn," the strange voice told her, "It's a fox trap. It's got you pretty tight." A fox trap! she tried to yelp, but again she felt constrained. "Falconclaw said hold on, you mouse brain," Jayfeather growled in frustration. Then he shook his head. "It's no use trying to pry it out. It'll only get tighter. I'll dig out that end, try to snap it," the medicine cat ordered. The leopard followed obediently, unsheathing his claws and fumbling with the wire. The collar had loosened a bit, enough to allow her to talk, and she realised that Jayfeather's plan was working. But when she turned back to see him, his paws had looked like it would bleed soon. "Is StarClan for me today?" she asked. The medicine cat stopped and gazed at her golden eyes. "No. We'll never have the Eaglestar we need if it was." Eagledawn's muzzle gaped open, taken by surprise by his words. "You really mean that?" she asked, and the medicine cat nodded. "I smell cats!" Falconclaw meowed. Jayfeather stopped to sniff. "That's definitely a patrol. Go. Quickly." The leopard burst off as quick as lightning as the other cats approached. It was Sunstreak, Nightpaw, Lionblaze and Squirrelflight. Graystripe and Millie had tagged alongside the patrol as well. "What in StarClan happened here?" Graystripe asked in surprise and fear. "Fo-" Eagledawn began, but was cut off when another snap was heard and Jayfeather made a short mew in pain. As the trap burned further into her skin, e turned to the patrol. "Ah, mouse dung!" he yelled. "I'm sorry, Eagledawn. My paws are too weak to dig out the whole thing. After all, I am a medicine cat," he sighed. "We'll take over! I'll dig it out! Millie, you try to break the string." The silver she-cat hesitated for a moment, narrowing her blue eyes, then nodded and disappeared behind Eagledawn's point of view. "Well," Lionblaze started. "There's why you can't move," he commented, pointing his paw at Eagledawn's legs which had been three quarters buried in mud. She let out a silent groan in distress, and felt as the collar had gradually loosened. She turned her head to see Graystripe had dug out the end of the trap and took over with the string, while Millie and Lionblaze began digging Eagledawn's paws out of the mud. She gasped for the air she awaited for what felt like moons. "Thank you!" she called out gratefully to the patrol. "Thank StarClan you came on time," Jayfeather sighed. "But why is it so tight? Traps aren't usually like that." The golden-amber tom padded up to Eagledawn and poked her fluffy neck. "It's because of this, I think," he answered. "Because of what?" the medicine cat asked. "Her neck," he replied, pricking his ears in remembrance. In remembrance of what, Eagledawn wondered. Suddenly, the collar had snapped open and she had felt herself come free, pulling herself out of the mud with a mighty leap. "Thank you... So much..." Eagledawn panted. "Let's get back to camp," Jayfeather ordered, and Eagledawn followed, taking a glance backwards to see that Millie and Graystripe followed them. Luckily, neither had questioned why she or the medicine cat had been out. To her horror, Flamepaw was nowhere to be seen. "Where's my apprentice?" she questioned. "We should be asking you that," Millie replied. "I-I sent him straight here!" She felt a sudden push at her open jaw which made her almost choke, and wheeled to her side, seeing Jayfeather who had held a serious expression. "What was that for?" she asked. "Poppy seeds, calm your dunged whiskers," he sighed. Such a result was that Eagledawn felt like curling up in the warriors' den and sleeping for a few moons, and she opened her jaws in a wide yawn. Graystripe and Millie had led her way to the den and watched as she drifted off to sleep on her nest. When she awoke, it was only just dawning, and she took her paws to the medicine cat's den, where Jayfeather had gone through his stock of herbs. He sniffed the air a bit before turning to face Eagledawn. "Hello." She held her tail high in greeting, and paused for a moment when she realised he had not returned the greeting. "Hi," she meowed, lowering her ears. "I just came to let you know that I'm okay now. My neck still hurts, and my legs are a bit stiff, but it's nothing bad," she explained, padding up to the medicine cat, her golden gaze locked onto his cloudy blue eyes. "Are any of the other warriors awake?" he asked. "No, but if you wanted to know, why didn't you check yourself?" Eagledawn asked curiously. He chuckled a bit, flattening his ears against his head in embarrassment. "That's right. I never told you, did I?" he chuckled. "I don't show it very well, but I'm actually blind." She pricked her ears in surprise and widened her eyes at the surprising fact. "I... No, I didn't know that at all!" she remarked. "It's alright. Well, you can go now. Day's coming and you should go get your apprentice." The she-cat nodded gratefully and padded off into the apprentice's den, watching a stir from a ginger apprentice in the nest nearest to her. "Flamepaw?" she whispered softly, careful not to wake the others. "Hiii!" the reply softly came, and the ginger apprentice leaped at her, catching her by surprise and tumbling her over. "Yeah. Hi," she sighed, pushing herself up. "Flamepaw's asleep. So is Molepaw," the apprentice told her. "So, you're not Flamepaw, then?" Eagledawn asked, her right ear pricking. The apprentice pointed her tail to another nest where Flamepaw slept soundly. "Evidently not," the young one answered, "Foxleap isn't awake yet, and I'm waiting," he added. "So, you're Cherrypaw then, right?" she questioned, and the fluffy she-cat nodded. "If your mentor isn't awake at dawn, you should probably go back to sleep until he wakes you," Eagledawn told her, then padded towards Flamepaw's nest and nudged him with her nose. She heard a groan and a reply; "Go away... I'm trying to sleep..." it came. "Flamepaw, get up." Her ear pricked when she heard another voice. "Huh?" She turned her head to see a brown-and-cream apprentice wake up to the commotion. "She didn't mean you, Molepaw," Cherrypaw replied, but silenced when a dark cream she-cat had entered the den, and Molepaw followed her outside. "Can't training wait?" Flamepaw asked, and Eagledawn sighed. Why can't my apprentice be as obedient as Molepaw and Cherrypaw, she wondered. "That's the sort of thing a kittypet would say. Do you want to stay an apprentice for the rest of your life?" Eagledawn retorted. She saw his eyes widen. "Some of our greatest warriors were kittypets!" he hissed. Oh, she thought, respecting kittypets, now? "Were. Not are," she replied. "I said 'were'," Flamepaw yawned. "Great StarClan," she hissed to herself. "With a brain like that, you'll never become a warrior! Besides, nothing gives you an excuse to be lazy," she meowed playfully. "Says the one who's of ShadowClan," he chuckled, not realising how far he had gone. That had boiled Eagledawn up like the sun in the middle of Greenleaf. "ShadowClan isn't lazy. They never were," her words turned from sincere to deeply offended and angered. "And I'm full ThunderClan blood, don't forget that. Now, get your lazy mouse-brain up or you'll be as much use as a dead fox!" she yelled. The apprentice looked startled, but he pushed himself off his nest and stretched. "I need to see Jayfeather, first," he told her. "Why?" Eagledawn asked, bothered by the young tom's disobedience. "I had a dream - two dreams, to be correct - you interrupted the second one. I don't know if they were dreams or not." Eagledawn flicked her tail, giving him permission to leave. As she watched the ginger tom leave, another came in. A reddish-brown tabby tom. Eagledawn held her tail high in greeting, and Foxleap returned the greeting. Cherrypaw padded towards her mentor, then waited outside. "Where's Flamepaw going?" Foxleap asked. "Oh, he said he needed Jayfeather for something," she answered, reluctantly, then lifted off her haunches and padded out, stretching as she felt the sun bathe her black pelt. "Good morning, Eagledawn," a voice called, and she turned her head slightly to the left to see a ginger she-cat that seemed invisible in the sunset. "To you too, Squirrelflight," Eagledawn nodded. "You're on dawn patrol with Foxleap, Cherrypaw, Flamepaw and Cloudtail," Squirrelflight told her. "Actually, Flamepaw needed to go see Jayfeather," she replied. "Oh. Alright. I'll send Whitewing in his place," Squirrelflight meowed. The two meowed their goodbyes and Eagledawn padded to the warrior's den, padding under the bush and scanning the nests. Graystripe and Millie sat beside the nettle patch sharing tongues. Nearby a white she-cat softly lay in a nest, the rise and fall of her flank steady. She weaved through empty and full nests to reach the white she-cat and sat down. "Is this Whitewing?" she asked Graystripe. "Yeah," he answered, and Eagledawn nudged her with her muzzle. "Yeah?" a sleepy voice came. "Whitewing? You're on dawn patrol," Eagledawn answered. "Who's on the patrol?" the snowy she-cat asked. "Foxleap, Cherrypaw, Cloudtail and I," she answered. Whitewing steadily rose from her nest and the two she-cats padded outside, seeing the others in the patrol waiting patiently. "Let's go," Foxleap ordered, and the patrol set off one at a time through the gorse tunnel. She watched as Cherrypaw crawled in, then Foxleap, Whitewing, Cloudtail, and finally her. They had passed near the river going downstream before stopping. "What do you smell?" Foxleap asked his apprentice. Cherrypaw lifted her ears, sniffing the air. "A dove!" she whispered, and crouched. The warriors watched with interest as the ginger apprentice padded towards a tree, then climbed without a sound. She sat on the branch patiently before leaping onto one next to her. Before she could lose balance, she jumped off with a great push of her hind legs and rushed back to her mentor. "Well done," Foxleap praised, and the two continued, heading back to the trees before Eagledawn stopped. "You alright?" Cloudtail asked. "Yeah, I just need to make dirt for a moment," Eagledawn answered. "Hurry," Cloudtail told her, and she padded through a bracken fern that had arched intimidatingly above her, sniffing the air to realise she trotted close to ShadowClan border. A jet black cat sat nearby in a tree just at the border, his emerald eyes seemingly not noticing her and his tail curling below the branch on which he sat, and as she focused more clearly onto this cat, she could feel her dirt being let loose as she gazed, her muzzle dropping. "S-Shadeleaf...?" she asked. The black tom suddenly became aware and, startled, burst off. Category:Warrior CatsCategory:Aquila